Crimson Drowned in Blue
by Uranasu
Summary: Lina's father becomes gravely ill causing Lina to go back to him. When she gets there, he has one dying wish, for her to settle down and start a family immediately before his time comes. Can she turn down a life on the open road for a life at home? LG
1. A Letter From Home

**Hello everybody! I'm Uranasu and I'm a major Slayers fan both sub and dub because I'm a major Megumi and Lisa fan! (Both actresses who play Lina) I usually don't write fanfics to my fav. series but this one has been on my mind for a while now, so…..I'm writing it. **

**But be nice to me because this is my first Slayers fic.**

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**Chapter 1: A Letter from Home**

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"Gourry hurry up! I wanna leave before the sunsets!" yelled the fiery red sorceress. 

"Okay Lina! Just give me second! Besides its still morning!" he shouted back.

Lina headed towards the door of the Inn start without her blonde companion. She was just walking past the counter when the clerk stopped her.

"Umm excuse me miss….Uhh I believe your Miss Lina Inverse?" he asked

"Yeah, who wants to know?" she asked back.

"Well ma'am I believe this is for you." He said, holding out an envelope on a silver tray.

"Oh the bill!" she concluded. "Well you can give that to the blonde I came her with!"

"Uhh no ma'am, the fine young gentleman you stayed with already paid the bill. This is a letter for you that just arrived throw the mail for you a short while ago." He explained.

"A letter for me?" she questioned retrieving the letter from the silver platter. "I wonder whose it from."

She picked up the envelope and examined it closely. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. It just seemed like an everyday sent letter. Of course the last time she received a letter such as this it turned out to be from Filia and her sister.

She turned it over to see if a seal enclosed it, and sure enough one did. But it wasn't from the dragon priestess, her sister, or some wealthy lord. It was from her father, she had received a letter from Zephilia.

She was hesitant to open it, who knows what would've been inside it! Her mother always told her that she was grateful she received her attitude from her not her father. Because sure she had an almost non-existent short temper with violent actions to boot, but when her father was angry the monster race got chills up their spine. And she hadn't exactly been Mother Teresa and all with all of the spells and dark lords she forbidden to even utter while growing up. But here she is now defeating dark lords and casting the spell of L-sama.

She stepped outside the Inn and sat on a nearby bench. If she was going to open a letter from her father she had to at least be at peace. Though she had to admit it was very strange for her. She hadn't heard from her father in over 5 years! Not since she left home at age 13.

She opened the letter slowly and careful preparing for the worst. And with a deep breath of courage she began to read the words in front of her.

* * *

_To my little Lina,_

_How are you darling, are your travels going well? Your father and I have missed you so much._

"Wait! Father and I?" she wondered and examined the seal once again. And sure enough the seal wasn't of her father's but her mother.

"Good ole mom! She was always there for me. (Sigh) At least now I can be a bit more relaxed."

_I'm sorry we haven't kept contact with you very much over the year's sweetheart. But your father and I have heard so many rumors and stories about you around we figured that you were actually taking care of yourself and didn't have much to worry about in the area of men taking advantage of you. But I still worry about other things….mainly on the topic of marriage. _

"Oh geez, not again! This is what I was running away from!"

_It would really mean a lot to your father and me to have grandchildren from both of our girls in this lifetime. Lina please think about it darling. If not for me then for your father, his sickness has been getting worse over the time and I'm afraid he doesn't have much longer. _

_However I have heard that you are traveling around with a handsome swordsman who as I heard, swore to protect always? Don't let this one slip Lina, he sounds like a keeper! And it's obvious that the man loves you; I mean who else would follow an Inverse to the ends of the earth in the name of protecting them? And from what I hear you even gave your life for this man._

(blush)

_Your father and I would like to meet the man you has captured our little Lina's heart and see if he's the right one for you. A mother can never be to sure now can she? I want you home as soon as possible Lina. I want you to spend time with your father for the little time he has left. We visited the Shaman doctor yesterday and he told us your father doesn't have no more than 10 years left. And I want his last decade to be that of a joyous one. So I'll be expecting home real soon sweetie, okay?_

_Love,_

_Mother_

_P.S._

_Don't forget your man friend!_

-

"Hey Lina! Lina, there you are! Where you've been?" asked the swordsman walking toward the petite sorceress.

Without a word spoken she arouses from the bench and turned her back to Gourry and re-read the last part of the letter.

…._ and he told us your father doesn't have no more than 10 years left. And I want his last decade to be that of a joyous one. So I'll be expecting home real soon sweetie, okay?_

Curiosity consumed Gourry as he leaned over Lina's shoulder to she what she was reading before she quickly folded it up and placed it within the many wonders of her cape.

"So uhh….where are we off to Lina?" he asked dumbly.

"Zephilia…"

"Ze- who?"

"We're going to Zephilia."

-

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**TBC**

**And that's all I got for this chapter, but I am writing another! Yea! But I'll only post it if you want me too so give me a review and tell me what you think!!!**


	2. Almost Home

**Thank You all for your reviews! And thanks to your reviews, here's the second chapter of Crimson Drowned in Blue.**

**CHAPTER 2: Almost home**

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_I want you to spend time with your father for the little time he has left._

……….

That one line….that one line plagued her mind like a dark disease for the past three days. And the more she thought of it the more unsure of her decision she became. She was very aware of the fact that her parents tried unthinkable acts to get her back home. They even went as far as dragging Luna into it and that was just plain scary. But father dying? That was a bit too extreme, even for her mother to push.

Now two questions covered her entire conscious, (1) Is father so ill to the point where her mother would actually write her after nearly 6 years of being away from home? And (2) Is this just some kind of foul set up for her to get married? Marriage was the primary reason she traveled the road. In her homeland, girls were promised to men at a young age that would help their family financially or socially. However in Lina's case, both were the reasons her family wanted to marry her off!

The Inverse family was widely known for their usage of powerful spells, persuasiveness in business deals and their fiery short tempers. So lots of bad things could come out of the three just by spreading to the wrong people. And Lina's father wanted to change that, by engaging Lina the son of the country's wealthiest of noblemen. This wasn't unusual considering her families love for money.

Which made everything was riding on her. Her families name, reputation, status, everything! Considering Luna was a special case. She was considered to be priestess when she grew up to show the world that the family was gifted in healing just as well as blowing up things. But one night in a tavern on her 16th birthday changed all of that, and some way or another she ended up a Knight of Cepheid. So that left everything up to Lina once again.

It's not that she didn't want to get married; on the contrary, she would love to have children of her own someday who would carry on the blood of family. And who knows, just may take up after their mom and save the world 10 times over!

But not yet…not so soon…..she didn't want to feel chained down and bonded to a certain duty for the rest of her life. She wanted to go places, try new and delicate foods, see the world, make tons of money, and not have to feel as if she's being run by someone, just by nature itself.

So she left.

Besides who would want to be married much less hang around a flat chest violent tempered little girl? No man would possibly want to be around her. None……except……

_"Gourry……." she thought._

She looked up to her life bonding protector.

_And it's obvious that the man loves you; I mean who else would follow an Inverse to the ends of the earth in the name of protecting them?_

The very thought of the words her mother wrote made her face blush as red as her eyes. She quickly glanced down on the road they were walking on to avoid his questioning gaze.

"Lina?" he asked.

"What is it Gourry?" she asked in a demanding tone, as not to worry her companion and to keep her reputation strong.

"Well, I was just wondering what the matter was." he started worriedly. "You've been silent these past few days and quite frankly Lina it's really starting to creep me out."

_Come on Lina, at least yell at me once. You've been so silent since you read that letter._

"I'm just a little nervous about going back home….that's all." She replied.

"You mean that's it? Oh.." he laughed chuckling. "I thought it was something serious! Hahahahah-"

**WHACK!**

"Are you really that dense? Or do just do it to purposely annoy me!!!!?!??!?!!?!" she growled standing over the now semi-conscious swordsman.

"What are talking about Lina? Your only going home, what's the big deal?" he asked naturally.

"What's the big deal?! WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL?!?!"

_Uh oh….._

"Do I have to explain everything to you jellyfish brains or do I have to spell it out?" she asked angrily. When she received no response she continued to explain the situation.

"I'm going home Gourry….home….does that click something to ya?"

"Uhhhh…."

"Grrrrrrr MY SISTER IS BACK IN ZEPHILIA!!!" she roared.

"Oh that's right!" he said in sudden realization. "Your afraid of your sister aren't you?"

A sudden chill of fear and angry crept through her whole body. All she could do was slowly turn to look back at Gourry to try an already lost attempt to keep her cool.

"Gourry, let's just get to the next town before night fall so we can check into an Inn." She stated as she continued to walk ahead.

"Well it was a painful move….but I think I finally managed to get a crack in that hard boiled egg of hers." He said to himself and began to follow after the woman he swore to protect.

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**LATER THAT NIGHT…..

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**

Dark clouds roamed in as the whole sky turned an Ashy gray. It looked as if the heaven's were going to break open a whole new meaning to the word pour, but no rain came down. Instead it just remained cloudy putting a gloomy mood on those who remained within its boundaries.

"_Just one more day..." He thought "Just one more day until we arrive to Zefolu and I'll finally know what's wrong with Lina."_

He positioned himself upon his window sill to sharpen his new found blade until another could be found to suit him.

The clouds continued to hover over the sky with the flashing of a few occasional lightening bolts and sly creep of the moonlight peeking out beyond the clouds to light the ground.

_sigh….oh Lina….I wish I knew what was wrong with you. It's killing me to see you like this! If I only knew…the real reason behind us going to your home country then maybe I could feel a little at ease."_

Giving up on trying occupying his mind with his sword he placed it on his bedside and walked toward exiting his room.

"Maybe some water or a walk for some fresh air will help calm me. Lina will tell me what's wrong when she's good and ready." She spoke aloud to himself.

_Then again….when has she ever told me what's wrong with her besides being hungry? He thought._

He began walking down the hall toward the stairs when he heard the sound a muffled cry. He first began to ignore it but the more he heard the person crying the more his heart began to ache.

_What's wrong with me? This isn't the first time I heard someone crying….but then why….._

As he continued forward he noticed that the source of the crying was coming from a room close by. The closer he got the more his heart ached and he couldn't help but feel the sorrow and hurt that person felt. When he arrived he raised his hand to knock on the door when he dunned on him.

_This is Lina's room! But….but why is she crying?_

Feeling the need to comfort her he knocked on her door and waited for a reply. The sound a sniffles and of her clearing her throat started until she was ready to speak.

"W-who is it?" she asked.

"Lina? It's me Gourry, are you alright in there?" he asked worriedly.

"I'm just fine Gourry! Now go back to your room!" she demanded, her fiery temper beginning to surface.

But it all seemed so pushed and façade that he didn't buy it for a second, so ignoring her "request" to go away to his room he instead opened her door walked into her room.

Her back was turned toward the door as she stood facing the window. Her cape was placed on the hanger behind her door so the cloudy night and room light made her seem very fragile in current state.

He began his decent toward her unsure of what to say. He continued walking toward her, his mind jumping around on different things, but all mainly focused on the young woman in front of him. When got behind her he did the only thing his mind could register; he comforted her. He wrapped his arms around her tiny waist and gently placed his chin on her head.

"It's okay, Lina…" he soothed. "I'm here for you."

Her body began to tremble at the very essence of his presence. She wanted to hell, kick, scream, and throw a fireball at him that he'll never forget. But when he wrapped his muscular arms around her she felt at ease felt she can completely trust him no matter clueless he is at times.

Before she knew it, her eyesight went blurry and a tear rolled down her face.

"Lina….."

"Oh Gourry!!!" she cried, turning towards him to cry into his chest. "Gourry, I d-don't know what to do! I don't want to go home! Not now! Not yet! I jjj-just…."

"Shhh…its okay Lina." He cooed

"I-III…I just…."

"Shh…it's alright Lina. For once in your life you can at least show me the real Lina. You don't have to act tough all the time Lina because I'm here for you." He assured.

After a while her sobs began to lessen and her body went limb in his arms. He picked her up and carried her towards bed and placed her within its warm sheets. The crying had strained her out so he didn't stir very much when he released himself from her grip.

As he began to walk towards the door he heard a tiny voice.

"Gourry…..don't leave me."

He turned to face the girl in bed. Sure enough she was asleep, but she apparently felt him release from her grip.

"I told you before Lina that I'm here for you." He repeated walking out of the door.

_I will always be here for you._

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**TBC**

**So what do you think?? Is it good enough to update?**


	3. Welcome Home!

**Wow, I never thought everyone would like this story so much! But I'm glad anyway. So as you requested here's the new updated chapter of "Crimson Drowned in Blue."**

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**CHAPTER 3: Welcome Home!**

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**Lina's POV**

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"_I can't believe I did that!" She thought._

The town of Zephilia was closing in fast and just beyond the hill. However Lina had other things bothering her besides being so close to home.

"_What was I thinking? Am I that desperate?_

Her mind kept going back……back to his words….

"_Shh…it's alright Lina. For once in your life you can at least show me the real Lina. You don't have to act tough all the time Lina because I'm here for you." He assured._

He was so kind to her….and he didn't even know what was going on. And he's always been there with her through tight pinches no matter how dense he was on the situation. Whenever she was ready to do something extreme, he never asked questions or tried to stop her. He'd just go with the flow or scream out of pure terror.

"_Hahaha…..Now that I actually think about it….he's always been there for me. He's been around through thick and thin and never complained. In most situation men would turn tail and run but he just stays by my side. He followed L-Sama when she took over my body; he dressed like a girl twice, and even survived a few of my famous blows to the head! And yet he's still loyal to me."_

She turned back to look at her traveling companion; who was only a few feet away from her.

_Could he really be..._

He then noticed her staring at him and gave her a confused gaze.

…._that stupid? No guy has ever done or put up with the things I put Gourry through! But then again….I never met a guy who feels comfortable in jellyfish costume either._

A small smile crept across her face as she thought back to their times with Xellos looking for the Claire Bible. Those were really good times…and lots of fun too! Her mind continued to flashback through her adventures until her blonde companion interrupted her train of thought.

"Umm, Lina? Are you okay?

"Huh?"

"Are you alright?" he asked worriedly. "You've been silent for a few days now and well……"

"What? I can't stay quiet for a few days without something being wrong?" she snapped, giving him one of her famous death glares.

He hesitated in fear for a second then proceeded on.

"Well…it's just that….." he began.

"Just what?" she pushed.

"Well…..I was just wondering….." he continued.

"About…..what?" she asked annoyed.

"Last night." He finished.

Her face froze and she stopped in her tracks. Her eyes became shadowed as she looked down at the ground below her.

"_Last night….." she thought. _

"You cried and…." He walked forward to stand directly in front of her and placed his hands on her shoulders. And for the first time since she stopped she looked up to gaze into the eyes of her partner. "For that one time I didn't know how to protect you. I've protected you bandits, fish men, dark lords and all kinds of whackos! But I never had to deal with protecting you from emotions Lina. And if that's the case then I want you to tell me what's on your mind so I can start protecting, since it obviously has something to do with this Ze-lie-phia place we're going to."

"Zephilia Gourry." She corrected.

"There….see….. it's a start, but the old Lina I know and love is finally coming back!" he exclaimed giving her his best smile.

She gazed back into eyes with her own shining with love and hope.

"When did this happen?" she asked, wondering when he became so wise.

"When did what happen?" he asked dumbfounded.

"This! All of these words your telling me now." She went on.

"Huh?"

"Forget it Gourry." She sighed giving up.

"Hey Lina we're here!" he exclaimed. "We're finally at Zelopea…I mean Zellipa….I mean…..your birth place."

She looked down the hill and sure enough it was there. Zephilia, her home; the place where it all began and probably where it'll end.

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**MEANWHILE IN SEYRUUN**

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"Amelia…please dear daughter you must pick at least one! That's the eighteenth groom to come to you this week." Prince Phil pleaded.

"And it the eighteenth groom I'm sending back daddy! I can't marry someone I don't know, who doesn't appreciate my feelings for justice…" she started counting them out for her father so that he may understand her situation more. "Doesn't understand my since of adventure, thinks my choice in friends in absurd, thinks I'm immature……"

"Okay! Okay! I understand Amelia, but please…try to consider a husband soon. You're nearly 18 and must have a husband in mentioning by then so please Amelia choose one soon. I would rather die than to make daughter marry a man she didn't love or understand."

"Oh….daddy!" she said with teary eyes.

"Amelia…"

"Daddy…" she said one last time before her father embraced her within one of his famous bear hugs. (**a/n: Okay, we've all seen at least the first series….we know how weird they can be)**

"Your majesties! Your majesties!" a royal guard shouted running toward the current and future ruler of Seyruun.

"What is the meaning of such a ruckus!" demanded Prince Phil.

"Sire, the soldiers on guard at the border of the kingdom has found an unconscious man not too far within our country. He doesn't appear to be with any enemy nation of any sort, however, he did posses an item belonging to the royal family; we believe that he may be a thief of some sort." reported the guard.

"We shall-"

"Bring him to me at once and I will decide what to do with him in the name of justice!" Amelia demanded in triumph, interrupting her father. "We don't know for sure if he is a thief and if so we can't just leave there unconscious that would just be unjust!"

"Well said Amelia!" Prince Phil cheered. "Truly said in the since of justice!"

"Thank You daddy." She thanked as walked over to take her seat next to her father's throne. She took on a caring yet professional manner as a future ruler and gave her remaining commands. "I want available guards to bring him to the palace infirmary and stand guard, while all available nurses and healers treat to the travelers' wounds. Also, have the royal cooks prepare something light and nutritious for him as to not startle his stomach so soon if a lack of food is his meaning."

Phil stood to the side….a stream of tears flowing from his eyes. "Oh Amelia, you make your father…so proud." He said to himself. _I know Amelia is perfectly capable of running Seyruun herself, however, I don't want much stress to build up on her and I want the Seyruun royal blood to continue on in future generations. _He watched his daughter further in her course of action to the situation.

"_Oh Amelia….._" he thought. _"I'm so sorry I made you grow up so soon._

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**ZEPHILIA****

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-**

Gourry and Lina arrived to the pleasant scenery of Zephilia. There were people all around buying, selling, trading, and commuting amongst themselves. But even though all of this was going on, it was still pleasant to be around. It wasn't like the big towns that they've been to, where everyone was yelling to get the others attention and trying to run them into a scam; but rather calm.

Any one who came to the area for the first time could tell that Zephilia was truly a country **(a/n: I'm just gonna assume it's a country)** that had many respected and hard working individuals there.

Gourry continued to gaze at the surroundings that greeted him. From the careful hustling and bustling of the people in the area to the fresh scent of mountain grapes in the air.

He continued to stare around him until his eyes feel back upon his red head companion. She looked tense and almost as if she wanted to avoid as much attention as possible, but with fiery red hair like hers it'd be pretty hard to miss.

He was about to open his mouth to speak, until….

"Lina! Lina Inverse!" questioned an excited feminine voice.

Lina froze in her tracks as a visual chill could be seen going through her body. She was completely petrified, but the voice only came second to Nahga's.

She slowly began to turn in her spot toward the voice, while Gourry caught note of all of this and turned to the direction himself.

"(Gasp!) Oh my gods! Lina! That is you! I can't believe it! Who would've thought that our own little Lina would show her face here ever again?" the woman said.

Lina cringed at her last comment and forced a pleasant look upon her face.

"Rebecca…." Lina dragged. "Long time no see, who would've thought they'd see you outside of a nightmare."

"Hmm….Well you've definitely managed to keep your sense of humor over the years. But tell me….have you ever considered sticking around for a bit? I know you just got into town but it would be nice if we all could just…catch up." She managed to speak.

Gourry, who's been quiet the whole time, began to look over the woman talking to Lina. She was a bit taller than Lina by about 5-6 inches and had waist length brown hair. She wore eloquent golden jewelry that went very well with her white dress and golden eyes.

She was very attractive; he had to give her that. Great body, great tits, perfect face, the works! But he couldn't shake his loyalty to Lina and right now, the attractive woman was giving his Lina a hard time. But he didn't want to outright attack her without some explanation of who she is, that just wouldn't be chivalries!

"Say ummm…..Lina?" he began to ask.

"What is it now Gourry, we just got into town." She stated.

"Yeah I know that but…I was just wondering who this person is your talking to….is she a close friend of yours?" he asked.

"Well I wouldn't exactly say we were close." said Lina.

"Oh nonsense Lina!" came in the woman. "We've been the best of friends since we were toddlers."

"Note: "been", which in other words mean….past tense." Lina stated.

"But you seem pretty close to me." Gourry stated dumbly, scratching the back of his head.

"There's nothing close about two people insulting each other Gourry." Lina remarked.

"Gourry….." Rebecca started. "So that's your name." The girls and I were wondering who the handsome swordsman was who strolled into town. We saw you walking but didn't see Lina until you got a bit closer towards us." She said casually.

"You couldn't see me! What the hell is that suppose to mean?" Lina yelled in anger.

"Exactly what I said! There's no way some one of your…."structure" could possibly gain the love of a man such as Gourry, you might as well skip the chapters of men to the last page cause that's all you'll get. Which in other words means that you can't possibly draw a man worth a woman's wild in especially someone like Gourry." She argued.

"Well who said I came her to-"

"_It would really mean a lot to your father and me to have grandchildren from both of our girls in this lifetime. Lina please think about it darling. If not for me then for your father, his sickness has been getting worse over the time and I'm afraid he doesn't have much longer." _

"_For once in your life you can at least show me the real Lina. You don't have to act tough all the time Lina because I'm here for you."_

"_My father…." She thought. "He doesn't have much time, yet still…how can I start a family when I promised myself the open road?"_

"Ha you see….I knew nothing about you changed! You're always putting on an act to seem tough. Well guess what Lina? Being tough won't get you the guy." Rebecca rubbed in and began to walk back from the direction she came from.

Silence befell them and Gourry soon looked down to see why Lina was being so quiet. But when he looked down, he saw an infuriated Lina with a stare that could kill. And he didn't know if he was petrified or if his mind was playing tricks on him, but he could swear he saw a red glow emitting an angry aura from her.

"Uhhhh-" he began to talk but quickly shut up when she started.

"That little twit!" she muttered angrily. "How dare she come to me on my first day back home and start with that! Let her come by me with those words again…." She said shaking a fist next to her face. "And I'll give her a dragon slave she'll _never_ forget!" she swore manically.

Out of instinct, Gourry placed his hands up offensively ready for the next event they may or may not take place. And silently prayed for the safety of the people who suddenly began to crowd around Lina and Rebecca while they were arguing.

"Step aside!" a woman demanded. "Move it! Just what is causing me to lose so many customers!"

As she pushed her way through the crowd, the angry aura that surrounded Lina soon depleted, and she was struck with a fear at the very sound of the woman's voice.

"_I-It can't be…" Lina stuttered in her mind. "Not here….not now!"_

"Step aside bucko! I wanna see…..Lina?"

She jumped and slowly turned toward the woman.

"H-hhi…Luna." Lina said nervously.

"Well, well…..welcome home baby-sister."

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**TBC**

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**And I am now working on the fourth chapter so that'll be out sooner than this one. Just let me know what you guys think.**

**-Ura out**


	4. You Came Back

And here it is the fourth chapter to "Crimson drowned in Blue."

**Chapter 4: You came back**

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**SEYRUUN**

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He felt tired and weak as if his whole body was made of lead. And when most people feel that way, they usually become frantic and begin to wonder whether they are alive or dead.

But he didn't feel frantic at all; he felt more at peace than anything. Almost as if he was home. But he still couldn't shake the feeling that he could be dead from the back of this head. The last thing he remembered was heading toward Seyruun and collapsed out of exhaustion. But now he felt as if he was in the comfort of cloud instead of the hard barren dirt of the road.

"Nurse, is he going to be alright?" a timid female voice asked.

_That voice…._

"Yes, princess he'll be perfectly fine with rest. He just passed out from lack of nutrition and rest, a little bit of both and he'll be perfectly fine." The nurse replied.

"Thank You." Amelia said hesitantly.

_I know that voice…from somewhere… in the back of my head I-_

"Princess, you should rest now, you've been here none stop for the past few hours. Please rest a bit; you'll need your strength for the questioning."

_Questioning?..._

"Yes, but…have you ever gotten the feeling that you've known somebody for a long time even though it's the first time you've ever met?" the princess questioned.

"Oh dear! Don't tell me that you're falling for this prisoner?" the nurse exclaimed in wonder.

_PRISONER?_

"Of course not!" Amelia shot back. "It's just the simple feeling…that….I know him from somewhere." She finished timidly.

The room soon became still and not a single sound danced the waves of the room. Amelia continued to stand at the foot of the stranger's bed pondering on her mind's memory.

"_I know I've met him before, I just know it!" she thought. "It's funny…in a way he almost reminds me of Mr. Z-"_

"Princess Amelia are you okay?" the nurse asked with concern.

She hadn't noticed it but she was crying. Streams of tears were flowing from her eyes non stop and she didn't even know why it'd happened. She quickly wiped the tears from her face and turned towards the nurse with a smile.

"I'm very fine, thank you." She said sincerely. "I've just been going through a lot lately…I guess the pressure's finally getting to me."

"Oh princess you shouldn't allow it! You'll have wrinkles by the time your twenty!" the nurse joked.

The both shared a laugh and the nurse excused herself from the room. Amelia then took the chance to further examine the prisoner from a closer angle.

She had to admit he was very handsome. And in a weird sort of way he almost looked exactly like Rezo the Red Priest, only his hair was a lighter shade purple, pretty much lavender. He had a kind, gentle face that looked like it never had a single thought of hatred or anger expressed on it.

She sat in the chair next to his bed, and continued to examine him further. She couldn't tell much because of the blanket that lay across him, but his arm was out on the side she was sitting on from the nurses taking pulse rates. But then out of sudden reflex she reached out and gently grabbed his hand.

"_I don't know why I'm doing this..." she thought to herself. "This man could be an enemy to my country and my family, but still….."_

She looked at his face once more.

"_I still can't shake the feeling that I know him from somewhere before." _She unconsciously began to tighten her grip on his hand while more tears fell from her eyes.

"Oh Mr. Zelgadis…." She sobbed. "Where are you?"

She continued to cry next to stranger her country held prisoner as if she'd known him her whole life and was his best friend.

"_Amelia!"_

_He searched around for the princess that filled his heart but could only see darkness._

"_Amelia…I hear you but…I can't see you or anything around me!"_

_She began to cry deeply and the very sound of it pierced his heart like a chisel. He couldn't stand to hear her cry, but hearing her cry meant that she was close by to him. So he started running….he didn't know what was in front of him and didn't really care. All that mattered was that he ran as fast as he could to get to his princess._

_-_

* * *

**ZEPHILIA**

* * *

- 

"L-L-LUNA!" Lina shrieked while quickly hiding for cover behind Gourry. "What a surprise to see you so soon." She said nervously peeking from behind Gourry in an angle.

"Don't be so smart!" her sister snapped, causing her jump and hold on tightly to visible cloth on Gourry's armor.

"You did something wrong again didn't you?" Luna continued. "Always making a crowd and causing trouble."

During the mist of all the yelling Gourry glanced down to look at the young sorceress. She looked like a little child hiding away from the neighborhood bully. It's not the first time he saw Lina coward in fear as a result of her sister. But it is the first time he has actually met her and judging from the aura she emitted while yelling at her sister, it's a go-figure that Lina would be so afraid of her. But even so he couldn't stand the fact that Lina felt so bad. It was ripping his heart out every time she clutched his shirt even tighter.

He glanced around listening to the locals talk about the scene. Some of them were murmurs, but he could tell what the majority of them were saying.

"'el would ya look at that! The young Inverse is back!" commented one woman.

"Yeah, who would've thought we'd see her again?" said a young woman from behind.

"Isn't she the one who ran away?" another questioned.

"No, that's the one who could barely grow past my knee!" a man joked.

Soon the mass of people began to laugh at the man's humor and joke more. While each second that passed by Lina clutched onto him tighter and tighter and one split second or two he could've sworn he heard her whimper.

"I can't believe mother and father would allow you travel with such a reputation following up on our name!" Luna continued to complain. "You should be glad they did not allow me to come and-"

"Excuse me if I may intrude." Gourry began politely.

Luna turned and gave him glare that pretty much spoke for itself in the 'Who are you? And what do you want while I'm scolding my sister' dept.

"Uhhhh…." He started beginning to back down.

"Gourry! You can't just make a stand for someone and then back down because of one look!" Lina yelled.

"But you did the same thing." He stated.

WHACK!

"When I want your opinion on something I'll ask for it!" she stated

"LINA INVERSE!"

She froze.

"Look at you, you haven't changed a bit! You're still loud, violent, low tempered, and I bet your appetite hasn't changed…."

Each remark she made about her made Lina quince in fear more and more, until finally she got ready for the big blow.

"Annndddd…..Welcome home…baby sister." She ended with a smile.

Gourry lifted himself from the ground and dusted himself off. "You see Lina…" he began. "Your sister's not as bad as you make her out to be…….Lina?"

He glanced down to see the small sorceress on ground completely blown away from her sister's last remark.

"I guess she was pretty shocked." He concluded.

"Hey, you!" Luna shouted.

"You mean me?" Gourry asked dumbly while pointing to himself.

"Yes, you; Gourry is your name right?" Luna asked.

"Yeah, but…what's…" He quickly threw away his current slash non existent train of thought to aid his red headed companion. He knelt down and scooped up her small light figure in his arms and held her close. Bending his head down to whisper to her, he failed to realize just how loudly he was talking.

"Don't worry Lina, your safe now." He said before nuzzling his face in her sweet smelling hair.

"_Hmm… this young man appears to be quite fond of my sister." _Luna thought looking at the two as the crowd began to disperse._ "He just may be the one spice things up around here."_

"Hey Gourry!" Luna called out to him. "Come with me."

He began to follow after her for and asked, "Where are we going?"

"Do you really have to ask?...We're going home." She said warmly and continued in the direction of the Inverse home.

* * *

**BACK IN SEYRUUN**

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_I'm getting closer….I can see the light up ahead! _

He kept running through the darkness determined to get to the end.

_I'm almost there….almost….just a little bit further…._

The nurse hummed softly to herself as she sat in the chair next to her patient's bedside, mending an old scarf from the past winter. She was very content in her state of mind until she heard soft yet strudel grunts nearby by. She glanced up at the patient and saw that he was waking up!

"Princess!" she yelled stumbling out the door. "Princess!"

"What is of the princess concern?" a guard asked at a nearby corner post of the castle.

"Inform the princess that the stranger has awaken!" state the nurse.

"Right away!"

Within moments Amelia was in the nursing corridor in the room of the unknown stranger.

He slowly began to open his eyes, squinting as he became accustomed to the light that filled the room.

"Sir, are you fully conscience now?" asked Amelia in a business like tone.

_Amelia?_

He slowly began to lift himself up in bed to an upright position. After a few failed attempts from his lack of strength he soon assumed the position he wanted.

"Amelia…" he started weakly.

"Sir, when in her highness presence you address her as _Princess_ Amelia." a man beside her sneered. He appeared to be the family's council man but that didn't matter to him.

"Amelia….its been so long and as embarrassing as it is to say…you've grown into quite the lady." The stranger commented.

She lightly blushed and continued her business like manner.

"I am here to know why you are within Seyruun borders with one of my possessions." She stated. "Are you a spy from the outer world here to corrupt the meaning of justice?" she demanded.

"(Sweatdrop) You just don't change." He said with a smirk.

"I'll ask you once more, "she said with a frustrated-ness in her voice. "Who are you and why-"

She quickly became interrupted when held her bracelet out to her.

"I promised you….I promised you that when I found my cure I'll come back and give this to you….in person." He explained.

"M-Mr. Zel-gadis…." She choked, tears uncontrollably flowing from her eyes.

"H-hey! Don't start crying on me! I just didn't want you to get upset and-"

"Ohhh Mr. Zelgadis!" she wailed throwing herself in his arms. "You came back…I knew you would! I knew it all the time."

He remained still for a few seconds paralyzed by the softness of her skin. But soon the numbness went away and he found himself holding her securely and stroking her hair.

"It's okay Amelia…I'm back now, and this time I can actually stay for a while." He whispered.

She continued to sob and the members of the royal staff took this as their cue to leave.

Soon after Zelgadis felt Amelia's body fall limp in his arms.

"Amelia? Are you-"

"You came back…" she interrupted.

"Well yeah, that's what I been saying for the past 10 minutes." (**a/n: We all know how sarcastic he could be at times)**

"I knew you would come back to…me…." She drew out before falling silent.

"Amelia?" he questioned worriedly to the princess. He calmed his nerves a bit and realized that she had just fallen asleep.

"I promised you I'd come back…" he said holding her closely. "..and if things go well…I won't ever have to leave you again."

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**TBC**

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**Wow, both sides ended with both girls being asleep, how uncanny is that? And you guys sure are demanding! I didn't think anyone would like this story this much, and to be honest I was just going to post one chapter and leave at that. But since so many like it, I think I'll finish it. And who knows, if I get enough people to like it, it just may be a sequel!**

**-Ura out**


	5. Getting to know You

**I'm working on it! I'm working on it! Ya see, I'm already on the fifth chapter!**

**CHAPTER 5: Getting to Know You**

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**ZEPHILIA**

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The blonde swordsman continued to trail behind the eldest Inverse sister while carrying the younger one protectively in his arms.

The ruckus through-out town this morning had quickly died down and he was now finally taking in the scenery that surrounded him. Which he had to admit was probably the most beautiful country he's ever seen….or remembered for the most part. All the trees were in full bloom, with flowers and fruits of all kinds growing and dangling from the branches. They all looked delectable to eat right of the branches and yet in an odd way sacred in some way.

"The grape orchids are our most prized possessions." came Luna. "We use them during our wedding and seasonal festivals."

"Do you use it just for those to occasions? I mean….don't you eat them?" he asked.

She laughed softly, "Hahaha…no mainly those two. We eat the grapes as well but only during our festivals and weddings. In a marriage they represent the sweet love a couple has for one another, while the vines represent the strong bond they'll always have. The festivals as a special purpose for grapes as well."

She continued to educate him in their culture in the meaning to the things they represent. It wasn't until then that Gourry fully took in the features of the woman walking in front of him.

Sure enough she was Lina's sister alright! He could ask one question to Lina that involves a simple answer, but instead she'll go as far to give you the answer and the meaning and/or reason to the answer. He loved that about her, because her eyes always lit up with such passion on whatever she was talking about. He would always look at her and admire the soft motherly side of her instead of paying attention, which evidently leads to headache down the road.

But watching Luna talk didn't exactly cause him to drift into La-La Land. Sure she spoke with the same knowledge as Lina did, but she didn't quite speak with the passion that Lina did. So miraculously for the first time he actually listened……and was understanding!

He paid attention to what Luna was saying and the sites she pointed out along the way. She may have spoken a lot like Lina, but her body was completely opposite. While Lina was short, her sister was tall and just about Zelgadis height.

Her chest was larger and she had dark velvet hair that was only shoulders length.

"Sorry if I'm boring you." She apologized. "You have to understand that the only things I mainly say through-out the day is, "Order for table 2!" or "Hello, my name's Luna, what could I get for you today?" Everyday, same thing! In and out, so I guess I could get carried away at times."

"It's okay." He said understandingly. "Lina goes off into her own world when she's talking about something she loves as well. Sometimes I don't pay attention; I just go off into my own little world." He said with a grin, glancing down at the red sorceress in his arms.

"I sometimes think she should be a teacher." He confessed still staring at Lina.

Luna said nothing to his comment and he soon forgot they were having a conversation a moment later. They continued to walk the rest of the way in silence, Gourry every once in while switching his attention from the scenery to the young woman in his arms. It was funny that no matter how much she ate she still could be as light a feather. Most of the times he looked down at her were to make sure she was still there because at times it'd feel like she floated out of his arms.

"Okay, we're here!" she soon spoke, outstretching her arms to present their home.

"Wooowwww…." He admired. "So this is where Lina grew up?" he asked amazed by the structure. It looked like a couple's dream home….the soft white color that covered the home, the old grass vines that grew along the side of the house entwining with he white wooden fence that lad against it. A small garden that appeared to be taken care of daily laid on the far side of the yard yet still covered some area in front of the porch. Everything seemed perfect from the front of the house but getting to know Lina over the years caused him to prepare for the worse. But that quickly disappeared when he began to smell fresh baked cookies.

_COOKIES!_

"Yep, come on inside my parents will want to me-et……you." She dragged the last part realizing she was pretty much talking to herself because the blonde man was already walking inside the house. Realizing it was a hopeless cause; she just gave up and followed Gourry into her home.

Once inside Gourry couldn't help follow the warm, delicious aroma of fresh baked cookies. He could tell there were obviously a variety of them where ever they were, from the spicy, sweet, and chocolaty scent that filled the air. He kept walking until he was a few feet in front of the kitchen entrance but stopped abruptly when a middle aged woman walked out of it. She was a short woman of about Lina's height, maybe a bit taller, with long velvet colored hair. Her bust size was that in-between Lina and Luna's and from the young beauty of her face one would almost think there was another Inverse sister! But her eyes told it all, of her age, wisdom, and many trials.

"Oh! What happened?" she asked frantically.

"Huh?" Gourry questioned aloud dumbly.

"My daughter! What happened to my daughter?" she demanded getting somewhat frustrated.

"Oh she…"

"Don't even worry about her mother." Lina interrupted. "She just passed out of exhaustion while coming through town; she'll be okay with rest."

"Whew..." the woman made a sigh of relief, and soon fell back to her natural mood. "I'm very sorry to have snapped at you like that young man. It's just; I haven't seen my daughter in nearly ten years. I guess I still see her as my little girl even though...she's grown so much." She choked, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"What are talking about? The only thing that's grown big on her was her mouth." Luna commented.

"Luna that's enough! Don't talk bad about your sister while she's unable to do anything about it!" her mother snapped.

This caused Gourry to chuckle a bit and reminisce on the times he and Lina shared fighting over food.

"And what about you young man?" Mrs. Inverse brought up.

"Me?" he wondered.

"Yes, I have to know who the tall and handsome young is carrying my daughter home now don't I?" He blushed. "I've never seen you around town before…aha! You must be the young man who was traveling with Lina? Am I right?"

"Yes ma'am you are." He replied nicely.

"Well I imagine your arms must be exhausted from carrying Lina around everywhere. Come with me….I'll take you to her room so she can lay down." She instructed.

Gourry obediently obeyed and followed Mrs. Inverse through the halls and up the stairs of the house. All the while she was asking him question after question. What was his full name, who is his family, where'd he come from, what was his childhood like, did he have any brothers or sisters, what were his hobbies like, how'd he meet Lina, etc, etc. She kept asking questions until they came to a room at the far end of a hall in the corner.

"Well, here we are! My little Lina's room, it's still the way she left it when went out on her journey."

He stepped into the room expecting a calm or boyish type décor for a room, but found the complete opposite! Lina's room was….was…was….girly! It still had its Lina touches here there, but practically everything in the room was either a pale soft colored pink or midnight blue and yellow. Her bed sheets were even pink which made her large bed appear to be a large bundle of pink cotton candy.

Gourry slowly made his way to her bed pulled a sheet back to place her under. Once we were sure she was safely secure in bed he pulled the chair from the desk beside her bed and faced it toward her and took a seat.

"What are you doing?" Mrs. Inverse asked curiously.

"Huh? Me? Uhhh…." He stared at the carpet with a slight blush on his face. "..no I'm okay, I just wanna make sure Lina will be alright." He said with a grin.

"Okay, But if you need anything just come and get it, Lunch will be ready in a few hours, I'll bring a snack up before then." She spoke in an agenda fashion.

"Okay, I'll be sure to remember that Mrs. Inverse." He responded politely.

"Oh dear don't be so formal! You're practically like family amongst the rest of us. You could call me mom." She said cheerfully.

"Umm…okay…..mom…" he said unsurely.

"There you see! No harm done! I'm just trying to get to know you better is all, and I'd rather do that when you're comfortable around me." She confessed.

"Yes ma'am...I mean…mom." He corrected.

She gave him a nod of understanding and began to exit the room. "_This young man is so kind and thoughtful." _She thought. _"I have to get him and Lina together during the festival! I just know he'll make Lina happy and he'll be a much better groom than that other man her father lined for her. I'm sure that once everything begins to unravel they'll see things my way._

The door closed with a soft click and Gourry was alone in the room with his sleeping sorceress. He took this time to gaze around the room and site out every detail that filled it.

On the right side of the room upon entering through the doorway was of course her bed. Covered in its pale pink bed sheets with a soft pink canopy tied along the sides on the bed post. And with the big fluffy pillows on its full size bed it definitely looked inviting!

He continued looking on to the left side of the room. There was a huge bookshelf built into the wall with tons of books on it. Not a single space of air could be seen in-between those books.

"All books of magic no doubt." He concluded aloud while further investigating the room.

On the far side of the room were two windows, on each side of the wall and a balcony door in the center. There were no posters of famous celebrities or cute guys on her walls; just a bunch of scrolls of love poems and famous quotes from people he'd never heard of before. There was even a pile of cute stuff animals and dolls in the far right corner of her room.

He smiled a grin of amusement and glanced back at the sleeping sorceress. She had already begun to get comfortable and was already lying on her side facing him.

He could get lost just staring at her; it always made him content just knowing that she was near. But he was in by her side for a different reason this time. This time he stayed by her side because we was genuinely worried about her. She'd been quiet all the way to Ze…Ze….wherever they were, and that one cloudy night. She cried. He's never seen Lina cry…never. So, seeing that alone…..must be the end; but the end of what?

He contemplated on this question for what seemed like hours, but was only two minutes because he fell asleep at the mere thought of thinking.

* * *

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**SEYRUNN**

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* * *

"Zelgadis!"

Amelia woke with a shock, covered in cold sweat. She lied in her own bed panting for air as the evening's dusk began to cover the land.

"Was it all….just a dream?" she asked herself aloud. _"I remember going into the nursing corridor to check up on the prisoner...and then…."_

An image of the human Zelgadis flashed before her eyes and was gone in an instant.

"Zelgadis!" she yelled in realization.

Just then her door opened and a handsome lavender haired man was standing in her doorway.

"Geez, even when you aren't in danger you're still shouting for somebody." said the man from the doorway.

"Who are you? And what do you….." she began to yell angrily, but stopped abruptly when she saw the man and the image of the man from early came to her mind once more.

"Zel-…Mr. Zelgadis?" she murmured.

"In the flesh; and this time literally." He spoke.

She stared at him with tears on the brims of her eyes taking in his demeanor. He was still the same height, only with a skin color that could match that of Mr. Gourry's. He wore khaki traveling pants that were covered at the bottom with short length black boots with a red sleeveless training shirt.

"Oh Mr. Zelgadis!" she shrilled tangling herself in her bed sheets falling chin first to the floor.

"(Sweatdrop) Typical Amelia." He responded to the incident.

"Mr. Zelgadis!" she continued to cheer. She lifted her self off the ground and in a matter of seconds was in his arms. "Oh Mr. Zelgadis, I missed you so much!" she admitted nuzzling her head in his chest.

_He's so soft….._

"Amelia we've already been through this earlier today."

"_And he smells soooo good!" _she cooed in her mind.

"Amelia?"

"_I can stay like this forever…." _She sighed

"Amelia?" he repeated.

"_If only I could stay like this….."_

"Amelia….." he repeated again making a face.

"…_..forever."_

"Amelia it's great to see you and all but….the palace guards don't seem so happy about the princess getting mushy with your supposed prisoner." Zelgadis stated.

"Oh right!" she said quickly releasing him and regaining her royal posture. "But as I was saying Mr. Zelgadis, welcome back."

"Thank you, Amelia….it's nice to be back." He answered sincerely.

"Come on, I'll give you a tour of the kingdom." She volunteered, grabbing him by the arm and out of her chambers. "I'm sure you'll want to know what Seyruun has to offer around here since you didn't really venture out as much as Ms. Lina and Gourry.

"That's for sure. All I ever hear those two talk about is the ice cream they serve here." He commented.

"Oh yes! Seyruun is one of the best places to get ice cream from, however we don't know much our new competition since the barrier to the outside world has been down." She spoke.

"I see…"

"But I'm sure you'll wanna try some! You hardly ever ate when you were in your other form, all you did was drink water or tea." She pointed out

"That's because that was enough for me." He retorted

"In your chimera form yes, but now your human so you deserve to have some human delicacies." She chimed.

"_Human delicacies…"_ he thought. _"Sure…why not? After all I haven't had ice cream since I was kid."_

He made a small smile as the princess continued to pull him down the hall by his arm and out of the castle gates. It wasn't before long that they were already within the hustling and bustling of the city that was Seyruun, the white magic capital of the world.

Before too long though curiosity got the best of Rezo's descendent and he began to walk without the escorting of Amelia. He began to take in the scenery that he had neglected for so long because of his previous form.

The shouting of salesman, the screaming and laughter of children, the awesome aroma food that filled the air; It all seemed like a whole new world to him. He's been neglecting it for so long, that now he just felt like a new born child.

Amelia on the other hand was feeling glad that he was finally getting out more and seeing the world. But she didn't like all of the woman of the world seeing him. They were all staring idly at him and making small comments about him here and there. The only reason they kept his distance was because he was with her, which made her feel a bit in power yet somehow insulted. Because if she wasn't their princess, would they run over her to be with Zelgadis?

"He is just _so_ cute!" one whispered harshly.

"Cute? Sweetie, that man is scrumptious." Another said seductively.

"Umm Amelia….were are we going?" he asked nervously, finally noticing the stares of multiple woman surrounding him.

"For ice cream." She said angrily.

"Is something wrong?" he asked worriedly.

"What makes you think that?" she asked sarcastically.

"Nothing…." He said in defeat. _She acts more and more like Lina as the years go by._ (Sigh) _Guess I better try to make things straight._

"Hey, Amelia…" he started.

"Hmm?"

"I wished you'd tell me what's wrong, I don't like to see you in this way." He confessed.

"In what way is that!" she asked stubbornly, whipping her head in the direction of Zelgadis.

"Like this! I came out here with you because I thought it'd make you happy to spend some one-on-one time together." He stated.

"I do! Honestly I do!" she apologized. "It's just….It's just I easily get jealous at times."

She blushed lightly at her confession and soon began to act like a shy child. Zelgadis looked down at the woman walking beside him, as her last few words finally hit him.

"Jealous?...Of what?" she asked incoherently.

"Well…." Her eyes quickly darted left and right in the crowd to give him a clue at what she meant.

He glanced around in the directions her eyes darted and saw dozens of women, young old, maiden, the like, all staring at him girlishly giggling even more when he would glance in that direction.

"Oh so that's what you meant." He said knowingly. "Well in any case, let's go back to the castle."

"What!" she asked shockingly. "No…no, Mr. Zelgadis we can't go back just because I got a little worked up! This is your first time enjoying the city!" she argued.

"And I don't want to be in the mist of it if the both of us are uncomfortable." He stated, turning around and walking back toward the castle.

Amelia stood there in the swaying crowd trying to grasp the meaning to the words he spoke. _"We're both uncomfortable?"_ she thought

"Mr. Zelgadis, wait!" she shouted, jogging a bit to catch up with him. "Mr. Zelgadis!"

She finally caught up to him to cling onto his arm to make him stop in place, but only yanked him back till he nearly fell over.

"Amelia what are you-"

"What do mean "if the both of us are uncomfortable" huh?" he demanded

"Exactly what I said." He stated giving her one of his knowingly looks. "You're uncomfortable with other women staring at me and I'm uncomfortable with people staring at me at all. Let's not forget that it's because people kept staring at me that I sought out looking for a cure and never made much of an appearance in public."

"Oh…" she answered slowly, finally realizing his point. "I'm sorry…I didn't bother to think if you were ready to head out in public yet, but I dragged you out here anyway."

Tears began to glisten on the grim of her closed eyes, and she soon felt a soft but strong hand wipe them away. She felt a strong surge of safety running through her and opened her eyes to see handsome comrade staring down at her with a smile that could melt the ice caps.

"Mr. Zelgadis…."

"Stop worrying about others so much and focus more on yourself for once." He recommended. "Besides I didn't put up much of a fight coming out here, so I wanted to come out just as much as you did." He reassured.

She felt a surge of comfort run through her, and very at ease as she leaned into his arm.

"_I always feel so wonderful when I'm with him."_ She thought

"We should get back to the castle now, "he said switching back to his more serious tone. "You're still exhausted from earlier."

"I'm fine, we'll just walk back and…catch up." She suggested.

"Catch up?" he questioned.

"Yeah, catch up on all things to of us missed out on since we've been away from each other." She replied.

"Catching up huh?" he said to no one in particular. "Fine then, it should be interesting getting to you." He stated, as the two friends walked to the castle linked arm in arm all the way there.

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**TBC**

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**Whatcha think? Is starting to get interesting for you? Let me know what you think!**

**-Ura Out**


	6. New Awakenings

**Sorry it took so long to update. I won't lie, I got lazy, with summer break and another school year coming up I decided that updating would be too much on my brain…but it turns out it was the exact opposite, hahahaha. Anyway here's the 6th chapter to "Crimson Drowned in Blue"**

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**CHAPTER 6: New Awakenings**

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**ZELPHILIA**

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Lina's eyes popped open with a shock, with the memory of her sister still fresh on her mind. All she remembered was passing out, and who knows what could've happened to her afterwards. She could she tied down to a chair, or locked away in some terrible room for special training and discipline, she could…she could for all she knew be dead! She closed her eyes tightly to regain her train of thought.

"_Okay Lina, just calm down….calm down." _She thought. _"There a reasonable explanation for this, there always is."_

She opened her eyes again renewed of her temporary boost of confidence and lifted her hand to her face.

"I can move!" she said shockingly. She lift her other hand to her face and even lifted herself up.

"I can't believe it! I can move! Luna didn't do anything to me and Gou-…Gourry!" she remembered and frantically looked around for her companion.

"Gourry! Gou-" she fell silent when her eyes fell on him right beside her asleep in a chair. He couldn't have been comfortable because the chair looked like it was very stiff and had no arm rest to get comfortable. Yet he still sat in it by her side with his arms crossed and right angle resting above his left knee as if he's been waiting and nodded off.

She smiled a gentle smile and took the extra blanket off the foot of the bed she was in to cover him up. He was so big that it barely covered him up but it got the job done.

She stepped back and sat on the edge of the bed to look at her protector. He looked so handsome when he was asleep and gorgeous when he smiled; hard to believe he had the I.Q. of a jellyfish. The thought made her laugh. It's hard to believe every thing they've been through, and now…she sighed and lay in bed. Now she was back at home in Zephilia to stay by her dying fathers' side. It felt like yesterday when she had snuck out of her window to begin her journey.

She remembered it so clearly….

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**FLASHBACK**

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BOOOOMMMM!

"LINA!" a young woman yelled furiously. "Look what you did now!"

The small red haired girl looked around at the remains of her school house and smiled sheepishly to the other girl.

"Whoops, hahaha guess that one got a bit out of hand. Hahahaha."

"A bit out of hand!" she grabbed the young teenager girl by the collar and pulled her to her face before continuing her assault.

"Lina this was the most elite school in the country! Mother and father had to pay a lot of money to get you into this school, now they're gonna have to pay a lot of money to build it up!" she yelled.

The little red head pressed her index fingers together with her head down in pity.

"I'm really sorry Luna…I-"

"Sorry is _not_ gonna cut it! I'm always the one who has to clean up your messes; I'm training to be a knight a Cepheid you know! I don't have time for _your_ faults!"

"I said I was sorry!" Lina yelled angrily with tears flowing down her eyes.

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**LATER THAT NIGHT**

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The Inverse family sat in their home late that night after dinner to discuss the current problems of their youngest member.

"Oh Luna I think it's great that Lina wants to follow in her big sisters foot steps." commented Mrs. Inverse.

"No it's not mother! The little brat is always taking things to the extreme!" she argued back. "She destroyed the school and could've killed hundreds of innocent people…using such a spell."

"She's still young," her mother added smoothly. "Just give her a chance to develop her powers and-"

"Mother she just destroyed a school and nearly half the country side with a dragon slave! And you're just gonna pat her on the head and send her to bed! No way am I going for that!"

"You're exactly right Luna." stated her father calmly. "You're still working part time to repair the castle she destroyed with a barrage of fire balls."

"And I still will for the next 7 years to pay it off!" she snapped "That man didn't really care about the damages; he said he enjoyed the fact of knowing magic was being used all around. We had the money to pay it and yet you still make me work to it off! It's not fair!" she whined.

"All part of growing up." he came.

"You're joking right! Papa that little runt is making my life miserable! She's so irresponsible! And she-"

"Will be married off to Aric on her 15th birthday; the preparation has already been set." Her father finished.

"What…"

"You said so your self Luna. You don't have time to run around town fixing your sisters mistakes, so your mother and I decided to let someone else start fixing them for her; a husband."

"But papa…."

_Gasp!_

A small one escaped the 12 year old lips of Lina Inverse who had been hiding at the top of the stairs listening to her family's conversation about her.

_Married?_

"She's way too young!" her sister argued in defense for her. "Engagement at age 12 and marriage at age 15……that's insane!"

"It was her or you darling." Spoke her mother in awhile in that night. "You have been going on and on since you were a little girl that you wanted to be a night of Cepheid." She reminisced. "And in order to do so one must be a shrine maiden, meaning you have to remain a virgin, otherwise you don't qualify to become one. And the family needs an heir."

"Yeah but…15?" Luna paused before looking away in defeat. "Mom that just doesn't seem right and you know it."

Lina couldn't take it any more, she had to leave! She wanted to get married more than anything in the world. But she didn't want it to be with a guy her parents arranged for her and just make her limit her magic and spells.

She silently crept back to her room and shut the door quietly to not gain attention.

"_They're gonna marry me off?" _she thought. _"And to somebody…I don't even know." _She finished sadly and walked over to her bed.

She stood there staring at it, contemplating on what to do? She heard of the Enlightmen family through neighbors and other people in town. They were said to be a family that exhaled in magic through their _male_ descendants. Which meant there was no room for her to practice or learn any new magic; it was her life, her blood, and she wasn't gonna give it up without a fight!

So without a second thought she grabbed her traveling sack and loaded it with things she'd need on the road, including a dagger and her money from her piggy bank for safe measures. Who knows how the road ahead will go?

With her declaration made she climbed out the window and down a vine that grew along the wall of the house. Jumping the last few feet down she crept her away around the house until she came to the living room window were just her mother and father were still talking.

"Tell me dear do you think will wear this?" asked her mother holding up a red dress that had huge yellow and pink floral patterns on it.

"_No way in hell!" _Lina thought

Her father sweat dropped and made a face at the outfit. "No Jenell, I feel that if Lina saw that she'll probably try a new fire spell on it." He chuckled.

"_Right on dad! You know me better than anybody!"_

"Oh that's too bad." Jenell said sadly, folding it in a square. "And I thought she'd look so cute in it for her birthday tomorrow."

"_That's right! Tomorrow is my birthday, I can't believe I nearly forgot! But…."_

She took on last look at her parents before her eye sight became blurry with tears.

"I made up my mind!" she declared wiping the tears away. "I'm going to leave home to start a new life! A better one and travel the world to see all of its glory."

"Mom…." She began, her eyesight focusing on her. "I promise you I'll get married someday, but right now I just wanna be myself. And dad…I know how much you care but please don't worry much. Stay in good health and I'll be home soon."

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**END OF FLASHBACK**

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That was five years ago….but who would've thought she'd be coming back because of her fathers illness. The very thought of it made her sad; she couldn't believe it all came down such a dramatic circumstance. She knew he worried…a lot! And that just couldn't be helped. There were times when she was little that she'd be late coming home from the grape vineyard by only a couple of minutes and her father would be standing by the doorway waiting until she got home to give her a piece of his mind. At times she thought he was just really strict but as time progressed she soon realized it was just out of love.

She turned on her side to gaze at her sleeping protector. He was so handsome; it made her smile just knowing she had someone like him to show off. As she continued to ponder on the status of their relationship, the events from earlier that day replayed in her head.

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"_Gourry….." Rebecca started. "So that's your name." The girls and I were wondering who the handsome swordsman was who strolled into town. We saw you walking but didn't see Lina until you got a bit closer towards us." She said casually._

"_You couldn't see me! What the hell is that suppose to mean?" Lina yelled in anger._

"_Exactly what I said! There's no way some one of your…."structure" could possibly gain the love of a man such as Gourry, you might as well skip the chapters of men to the last page cause that's all you'll get. Which in other words means that you can't possibly draw a man worth a woman's wild in especially someone like Gourry." She argued._

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"Rebecca…." She cringed at the very thought of her. "I don't have to put up with her! She's denying me the beauty sleep I deserve!"

She got comfortable in the bed and laid facing Gourry until her eyes gave up on her and she drifted back to sleep.

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**SEYRUUN**

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Although they reached the castle hours ago, Amelia and Zelgadis still didn't go inside because they wanted to enjoy the cool night air awhile longer. Not only that, but their conversation never seemed to end. They learned so much about one another and were still learning more and more.

Their walk soon led them to the palace gardens toward the garden maze.

"You all have your own maze here?" he asked in amazement.

"Yes, it was my mother's favorite place to be and soon became mine. There's a fountain in the center that I wanna show you."

He nodded in allotment and followed her through the maze. He first began to just admire the structure of the maze and the way the moon lit its path. But he soon concluded that he was walking too slowly for Amelia's pace when she walked back and grabbed him by the hand to keep up. Usually he would grunt and become hesitant to hold her in such and manner and pull back. But her hands….her hands were so soft; he couldn't help but admire them.

A blush rushed its way to Amelia's face when she noticed what was going on. She knew she intentionally grabbed Zelgadis's hand but that was to help lead him through since it was so dark out. But the more she felt his thumb caress her hand, the more she felt her heart thumb until it was all she heard. It was all becoming unbearable…so unbearable that…that…

"Is this the place?"

She was interrupted by her train of thought by his question. She snapped out of her dream space and glanced around to find they had already made it to the fountain. She must have absentmindedly led them there; it's a go figure considering how many times she's been there.

She turned her head away from him even further to hide her faint blush and released his hand to walk toward the center of the area.

"Yes, this is where my mother came when she wanted to be alone."

"I see." He said understandingly, walking to her side. "So now it's your favorite place to be alone."

She nodded and a strong gust of wind blew in from the south sending a chill through her body. She shut her eyes tight and grasped herself to keep warm and continuously rubbed her arms to keep warm. Her effort seemed futile at first until her body suddenly felt a warm tingle throughout its existence. It was a wonderful feeling that touched the very core of her being with strength and protection.

Amelia felt she was on cloud nine and slowly began to open her eyes when she felt a nose gently nuzzle her neck from behind and an exotic voice in her ear.

"It's getting cold out…" he whispered. "We should start heading in."

She was in a lost of words and felt week in his arms. She could barely stutter the words she meant to say, and gave him a weak nod before collapsing in his embrace.

Moments Later

She awoken in a dark room and became frightened. Wasn't she just in the garden with Zelgadis!

"Zelgadis? Mr. Zelgadis?" She called climbing out of bed toward the door.

She was frantic at not knowing what was going on, and desperately went to seek out the warmth she once had.

"ZELGADIS! MR.ZELGADIS! ZELGADIS! ZEL- hmpf!"

She bumped into someone walking out of the room, and looked up to try to make out the face in the dark with the little hall light that was available.

"Zelgadis?" she questioned the mysterious figure.

"Geez, I'm starting to wonder just how much you think about me." He grunted, walking over to turn on a lantern.

She quickly locked toward the floor like an innocent school girl to hide her blush and fumbled in her mind on what to say next.

"Well y-you see I was worried that something may have happened to you, considering we were last in the garden." She mumbled.

"Yes, well unfortunately for me the cold air must have really gotten to you because you passed out and I had to get us out of that crazy maze on my own!"

"Oh I'm sorry Mr. Zelgadis! I didn't mean to cause you the trouble." She apologized.

"Don't worry about it; I just flew over it all after 5 minutes of walking around." He admitted.

"Oh well that's a relieve, I thought for sure you would've tried to walk out the maze Mr. Zelgadis since you like puzzles and stuff. But with my extra weight it's a go figure you just flew over." She laughed nervously and seated herself at her desk chair while he studied her bookshelf.

After a moment of silence he asked, "Why do you call me that?"

"Hmm? Call you what?" she asked innocently.

"Why do you always call me 'Mr. Zelgadis'? Just a while ago you were calling me Zelgadis." He observed.

Her cheeks started to burn before trying her best to answer modestly. "Well I…it's because I respect you Mr. Zelgadis, the same as Mr. Gourry."

"But when was the last time you called him that?" he asked, scowl forming on his face.

She looked at him in wonder of what would have brought this up to see his trembling body facing the bookshelf. Being instantly worried about him she walked toward him in effort to comfort him.

"Well….because…."

She was just two feet away from him with her arms outstretched to touch him when he quickly turned around, grabbed her arms to pull her into another one of his embraces.

He face felt hot and she felt she was going to pass out again until he began talk.

"I don't want any formalities Amelia. I just want you to be yourself around me. You haven't called Gourry 'Mister' in quite awhile and I just want that same type of attention. (a pause) I'm sorry, I must sound crazy to you."

"No…" she chocked, as tears broke their boundaries flowed down her face. "You don't."

He looked up at her and wiped the tears from her face with his thumb and continued to stare into her deep blue eyes. The moment they were sharing began to become intense and Amelia felt that something was bound to happen that night.

He leaned forward and she closed her eyes from the closeness felt a light brush of his lips on her cheek.

"We should get some sleep tonight. I wouldn't want Phil to worry about his daughter's condition tomorrow morning." He said absently walking past her to the door.

"Sorry if I was troublesome to you today, but I was serious at what a said awhile ago. I…I really want you to be casual with me, because I want us to get to know each other better. I feel we're going to be together for awhile Amelia, so I'm sorry if I was to straightforward." He gave her a smile and said his goodnights, exiting her room.

She turned off the lantern and plopped down on her bed to lay and face the ceiling.

"Oh Zelgadis." She moaned silently turning to see the stars out her window.

"If only you really knew." She whispered, as her final tear of the night fell on her bed.

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**TBC**

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**See wasn't that great? I'm trying to get this story rolling nicely so you all hold out with me okay. It's hard doing two different stories at once! Well…you know couple stories. But ne way, tell me that you love me with many reviews , so I can inspired to write more!**

**-Ura out**


	7. Shocking Realizations

**It's here it's here it's here! Chapter 7 to 'Crimson Drowned in Blue' and I must say….sniff….that the feedback you guys give me….sniff…is the best I've gotten i-in like…..ever! This is all so buena! So I'd like to send special thanks to:**

**ShellyraeleenV-BABE**

**Neo crystal SerenityLina Inverse**

**HaruxsakuraBlueJellyFish**

**CarolinaWhiteRoseKristall**

**Maddy02paintedstars**

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**AhriaFran KC**

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**BrendaSamuel Tong**

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**The Immortal Hunterange**

**Thank you everybody whose been reviewing thus far, and I hope to receive your continued supporting this and upcoming chapters……thank you.**

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**CHAPTER 7: Shocking Realizations**

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**SEYRUUN**

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The princess of Seyruun slowly awoke the next morning with a light streak of sun beaming across her face, awakening her for the new day. Squinting her eyes shut she didn't feel like waking up and grumbled something in her sleep before rolling over to her over side.

"Amelia…you over slept; your father's waiting for you."

She heard the voice, but she chose to ignore it to sleep a bit longer and asked the person if she could have five more minutes.

"Uh-uh, no way," said the person grabbing her shoulder from behind. "You told me five more minutes every time I came in here!"

"But you just came in here." She protested groggily.

"No I haven't! I've been here every five minutes for the past 35 minutes trying to wake you up!" the person stated annoyingly.

Instead of giving the person another remark she decided to mumble again and fall back asleep, now on her back from the person pulling her over. But she assumed she made the person angry because next thing she knew she was yanked up into a sitting by her arms that felt like they've been ripped off! Angry that someone that someone would treat their princess that way she instantly awoken to give the person a piece of her mind when she finally realized who it was.

"HEY WHAT DO YOU THINK YOUR-Zel-Zelgadis?" she instantly blushed when she noticed their faces were only a few inches apart.

"Well well I've finally gotten you awake. And it seems I'll have some thing to always remember as well." He spoke calmly.

"Some-something to remember?" she questioned.

"It's the first time…." he stated receiving a puzzling look from her. "It's the first time you said my name without the formalities." He finished with a soft smile.

As if her blush couldn't get any deeper! She suddenly felt dizzy and light headed again, and closed her eyes lean forward into his chest.

"R u okay?" he asked worriedly.

"Oh yes, I'm fine I just feel a little dizzy." She said into his chest.

She felt him chuckle and could hear every beat of his heart as he spoke.

"I suppose that's the stress that comes with being a princess." He assumed but got no response from her. She was too busy enjoying the moment…The scent of his clothes, the flow of his breathing, the warmth of his skin; she was caught in it all! She never wanted that moment to end.

"Amelia?" she heard him say, and felt his thumb and index finger tilt her chin up to look at him.

She felt a wave of emotions subdue her as she looked up into his piercing blue eyes. All sound was drowned as she he leaned closer and closer to her lips. Her heart raced with every centimeter and she heard her heart beating madly for rest. Closer…closer…closer…and finally.

AAAAHHHHH!

She popped up in bed with sweat dripping down her fragile face panting for air.

"_A dream?" _she thought. _"Was that all just a dream?"_

She climbed out of bed and opened her curtains to the new day that awaited her. Staring down at her city her mind began to wonder to her dream just than.

"It felt so real…." She thought back. "Almost like deja blue."

She left the window and went to get ready for the day. She didn't feel like dressing too fancy so she put on a simple dress that exposed her curves in all the right ways but still gave her a since of modesty. It's black body and loose white sleeves didn't go at all with the loose sky blue skirt on it, but it was still cute in its own way. In some ways one might say the dress looked like that of a modest peasant but in their own way they looked like they were dressed quite comfortably and it was! She gave her hair a quick run through with her fingers and put on her black slippers before heading out to the dinning hall.

Walking silently to by herself her mind began to wonder while staring at the many décor that filled the hallway.

"_I wonder what's going to happen now?"_ she thought sadly. _"My birthday is coming soon and Daddy desperately needs me to be married in order to rule over Seyruun. He wants me marry a man of my choosing, but he already has a fiancé lined up for me if I don't come with a man I choose soon. (sigh) What am I going to do?"_

"Princess Amelia."

She snapped out of her daze to see the palace nurse standing not too far away in the corridor; and fixed her appearance in the way that was to be seen on a princess while closing the distance.

"Princess Amelia, I have a very urgent message from your father Prince Philionel. He wanted me to inform you that your meeting with Prince Raul has been brought to an earlier date. His parents felt it would be best for the family to get to know their future in-law."

"WHAT!" she shrieked.

"They will be arriving here in 3 days." The nurse continued to inform. "The prince wishes that you will make room in your schedule to make sure you show him the best of times."

Amelia was shocked beyond belief. Here she was, just now getting her chance to finally get to know Zelgadis and she now has to get to know some prince she's never met before!

"Great as if I don't have enough things to worry about." She sighed before clinching her fist for a dramatic pose.

"But no matter how many things come my way, I will never give up hope because Justice will always prevail." She spoke triumphantly.

"Very well said princess, however, you are running late for breakfast." The nurse reminded.

"Oh! Thank you very much." said Amelia before running off to the main dining area of the palace.

She neared the corner to the room and was already greeted with the presence hot delicious foods waiting to be devoured until she finally came to the grand oak door that led to the dining hall. She pushed the doors open and was not only greeted by her father, but Zelgadis as well.

Her father sat at the end of the table telling her to hurry and come eat, while Zelgadis sat to his right at the table drinking a cup of tea in silence. Amelia immediately took the cue and walked to the left side of the table by her father facing Zelgadis. She blushed when their eyes made brief contact, and begun her daily breakfast routine placing her napkin on her lap.

Zelgadis continued to eye her through the process and continued his small chat with Phil about the white magic that surrounded the kingdom.

"I want to study magic again." Zelgadis began. "Now that I have my human body back, 2/3 of the power I once had is now gone. I just don't want to feel defenseless when the time comes of an attack."

"Admirable very admirable in deed Zelgadis!" Phil praised. "Spoken in the true name of virtue and justice."

"Wait a second." He tried to explain.

"The fact that you are willingly putting yourself through rigorous training to protect all that is just, to maintain peace in the land, is truly something to be honored." Phil preached.

"I didn't say anything about-"

"Oh Zelgadis!" started Amelia with watery eyes. "Do you really mean it?"

"Uhh…" he instantly blushed at the sound of his name from her. He didn't know what to say. He couldn't say yes because he wasn't into the whole superhero business. And he didn't want to say no because he was afraid to see the look on Amelia's face if he said so.

He gave a nervous laugh and scratched the back of his head out of strange habit.

"Well you see, I uh…just want to regain my power back to protect mys-"

"OH Zelgadis spoken in the true name of JUSTICE!" Phil exclaimed with a shaking fist. "The very fact that you will fight for all that is precious for you is truly said by someone who is ready to do good for the sake of mankind!" Amelia nodded her head in excitement at each of her father's words.

"I will make sure that every book of magic in this kingdom is available to you at all times for the sake of justice!"

"Uhhh…(sweatdrop) Thanks…I guess."

Amelia couldn't help but smile at the moment. Although Zelgadis seemed like a completely different person last night, he still has some of his old characteristics. Her mind began to wonder to the moments they shared last night and finally to her dream. An instant blush rushed to her face when she thought about the ending.

_We were so close…_

"Amelia, has Lettia given you my message yet?" her father asked snapping her out of her daze.

"Huh? Oh, yes." She finished sadly.

"Daughter, please realize this is only a Plan B." he pleaded with her, examining the sad look upon her face. "This is for the sake of the kingdom."

"I understand daddy." She sighed.

Curiosity finally got the best of Zelgadis and he asked what the situation was that had Amelia so worked up. Hesitant to answer his question Prince Phil gave a cheesy grin and told him it was nothing serious to worry about, and excused himself to attend to other duties within the palace. A moment later, Amelia herself stood and left the table and left to take care of other concerns.

"Well I guess there's not much else to ask without the sources themselves here." He stated aloud.

Realizing there was nothing else for him to do at the table he too got up and went to attend other business. His first stop being the palace library.

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**LATER THAT DAY**

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It was already dusk and Zelgadis was literally up to his neck in books. He had learned a few new spells and even learned how to advance his current spells. He would've learned a lot more if it wasn't for today's events at the breakfast table.

"_Everything seemed to be going perfectly normal."_ He thought, thinking back to Phil's sudden call of justice.

"_But then…"_

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"_**Amelia, has Lettia given you my message yet?"**_

"_**Huh? Oh, yes." She finished sadly.**_

"_**Daughter, please realize this is only a Plan B." he pleaded with her, examining the sad look upon her face. "This is for the sake of the kingdom."**_

"_**I understand daddy." She sighed.**_

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"_What was that all about?"_ he pondered. _"Amelia is always cheerful no matter what the situation. It's hard to believe that 'nothing' could make her feel so down."_

"_Dammit!" _He slammed his fist on the table._ "Why can't I stop thinking about her? I can't even concentrate on these spells because she keeps popping up in my head."_

"Umm…Mr. Zelgadis?"

He came from his thoughts to see who was in the door way. Her face and figure was slightly shadowed but he could still see her in the moon light streaming through the windows.

"Amelia. Sorry I didn't notice you were there." He confessed.

"It's okay." She responded leaning back on the doorframe. "You seemed to be deep in thought."

Came a blush came and went on his face when he realized what she was talking about and used one of the spells as an excuse.

"_I can't just let her know I was thinking about her."_

"Oh I see." She said plainly, the upper half of her face hidden in the darkness of the night, hiding all emotions that can be seen on it.

She bowed her head grabbed her arm like a nervous school girl, unknowingly releasing a sorrowful sigh.

"Amelia…Amelia is something wrong?" he asked worriedly, raising himself from his chair.

"I suppose you wanna know what me and daddy's conversation from this morning about." She stated bluntly not moving her body one inch from its previous position.

"Well…yeah it has crossed my mind." He confessed. _A lot actually_

He cautiously walked toward her asking her what was the matter over and over, and if there was any way he could help.

She clutched her arm tighter and tighter every time he spoke unaware of her trembling body.

"You know you did it again." He stated.

"What?" all fear that was previously in her disappeared at his words. "What do you mean?"

"My name." he stated with a smile. "You said it in another formality."

She looked up at him with tears sparkling in her eyes to see the most handsome man she had ever laid eyes on. Her heartbeat began to race and her lip began to quiver as she tried to speak.

"Oh Zelgadis." She cried.

"There we go," he said gently, pulling her softly in his embrace. "You know it's just not like you to cry." He spoke softly wiping her tears away. He tilted her chin up to look her in the eyes with the moonlight and felt a rush flow through him, making him feel like doing something sudden. Before he knew it he was leaning in toward her lips…their breaths mixing with one another.

Amelia felt like pure bliss, everything was perfect but…

"NO!" she shrieked pushing away from him.

Zelgadis was baffled. What happened? Everything seemed to be going perfectly! He looked at her for his answers to see tears flowing down delicate face.

"I-I can't Zelgadis…" she sobbed.

"What? Why not? "he asked, trying to hide the hurt in his voice.

"Because I'm in engaged!" she cried and ran out the library into the quiet of the night.

"En-engaged?" he asked himself, unsure rather he heard her correctly or not. He felt hopeless. Like everything he had worked for had went down the drain.

He plopped down in his previous seat and cradled his head in his hands.

"_Enagaged? But then…why would she…was she just leading me on? No Amelia would never do that but.."_

He slammed his hands on the table in declaration.

"I'm not gonna give up that easily Amelia. I worked to hard to make this all come true and I refuse to give up now."

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**TBC**

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**You like? I thought it'd be nice to have an Amelia/Zelgadis chapter just for A/Z fans out there. See I think about everybody. And I tried to make it fluffy just for all the fluffy fans out there. So tell me what ya think and I'll get the next chapter up!**

**-Ura out.**


	8. Realizing the Truth

**Hello hello! Ura here with the 8th installment of "Crimson Drowned in Blue" And since last chapter was an Amelia/Zelgadis chappie, I'm gonna make this a Lina/Gourry chappie for the fans. And I promise to make the next chapter a split one. **

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**Chapter 8: Realizing the Truth**

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It was almost noon and Lina awoken with a jolt, but quickly laid back down when a rush of dizziness came to her. She slowly rose herself this time, holding her blanket in front of her like a shield. Slowly yet cautiously she gazed around the room to take in her surroundings.

_Hey!...Hey this is my…_

"Hey Lina, your finally awake!"

"Ahhhhhh!" she shrieked. "FIRE BALL!"

The fire burnt man let a gassy cloud of smoke come from his mouth in a comical way. "Nice to know your back to yourself." He said almost sarcastically.

Lina, who had her eyes closed the entire time, opened her left eye slowly to see who she fired in her doorway.

"_(Gasp)_ Gourry!" she exclaimed happily, and rushed over to him.

"Uhh, hey? Should you be moving around so suddenly?" he asked worriedly. "You were out for-"

"Are you okay?" she demanded checking over him, pulling and poking random parts of his body. "Did she hurt you? You're burnt to a crisp! Who could've done this to you?"

"Hey Lina calm down." He asked more than told. "Everything's just fine, and your parents are just great!"

"My parents!" she demanded stepping up to his face.

"Since when did you know my parents?" she questioned, making him to step back in fear.

"Well…since we got in Zelolo and we bumped into your sister." The very relation made her blood chill. "You passed out and she brought us to your home. I met your mom yesterday and she seemed really nice. I just met your dad this morning and he's quite a person to be around!" he spoke cheerfully.

"My father…" she whispered, nearly falling back in her hopeless state, but quickly regained her bearings and demanded where he was at.

"Hmp…he's downstairs." Gourry explained. "He told me to come up her and wake you up anyway."

"Oh…I see."

He soon stepped to the side to allow her passage to the hall so they could walk to her parent's location together. It was quiet at first with Lina buried deep in thought of what to say or how to even look at her father. Not wanting anymore awkward moments between the two anymore Gourry decided to break the silence.

"So Lina how come you never told us?" he asked, taking her out of thought.

"Told you what?" she inquired.

"That you were from such a great homeland." He explained. "Come to think of it, you never spoke of your own life while we were traveling."

"……"

"Lina?...Lina I just wanna say-"

"What do you know we're here!" she interrupted, walking over to her parents. "Hi mom, hi papa." She greeted giving each a hug and a kiss.

"Oh Lina look at you! You've gotten so beautiful!" he mother complimented. "Gourry don't be so stiff come sit down!"

He wearily took the offer and sat in the seat across from the Inverse Family.

"Oh, Kebar look! Our little girl has grown up without us." She sniffed on the brink of crying her eyes out.

"Jenell, I highly doubt Lina wants to be bothered with your tears after a long journey." Kebar scoffed.

"Oh really?" Jenell snapped. "Then what do you think we should discuss after seeing our daughter in over 5 years hmmm?"

Kebar gulped in fear. If anyone stayed around the Inverse family for just a moment, anyone could tell that Lina got her fiery short temper from her mother and her vast eagerness for knowledge from her father.

"Well how about we get more information about his fine young man she brought home with her?" he replied.

Lina blushed at the remark and began to fidget in her seat like a nervous child, which she pretty much looked like sitting between her parents.

"Oh your right darling, we still don't know much about you Gourry dear." said Mrs. Inverse, quickly snapping back to her polite self. **(a/n: ….scary much?)**

"Uhh…well" he started sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. "There's really not much to say."

"Ohhh how cute!" Jenell cooed. "He's being bashful."

"Somehow I don't think that's the right way to explain it." Lina muttered with a sweat drop.

"Well that's okay…Lina can tell us all about you, right sweetie?"

Lina bowed her head in defeat…How can she tell her parents that after three years of traveling with a guy whom you risked your life for twice, dressed like a girl, and even shared a room with that you knew nothing about him! All she knew was his name was Gourry Gabriev and he obtained the sword of light as a family heirloom, that's it! The question of one's past never came up as apposed to neither wanted to talk about it. So how….

Lina hadn't noticed but the room remained quiet for awhile waiting for her to say something. At first her parents thought she was being shy, since Lina was never fond of showing much emotion. But after a few more minutes they soon realized she didn't know anything and suddenly became uneasy until Mrs. Inverse spoke up.

"Umm…Gourry dear, do you think you can run an errand for me?"

"Uhh sure." He stuttered, standing to receive his instructions.

"I need you to go to town and pick up some fresh fruit from the produce district. I need grapes, peaches, apples, plums, blueberries, and-" She paused when she saw the lost look in his eyes when she started the list.

"Uh, how about I make you a list?" she asked, walking to the kitchen to scribble her list down.

Gourry stole a look at Lina before turning his attention back to Mrs. Inverse, who ten on cue handed Gourry her shopping list and he went on his.

He was just the garden when he suddenly realized, he didn't know were the produce district was at…let alone the main part of town! He walked back into the house and right before he turned toward the area he left the Inverse's he heard they were talking and quickly ducked behind the corner.

"Now Lina…about the letter I sent to you." Her mother began. "As I told you your father is gravely ill and…and…" she broke down into sobs as her husband soon took over.

"What your Mother is trying to say dear is that I don't have much time. My power weakens everyday and I really don't know how much longer it'll be."

Lina eyes watered at every word and she couldn't bear the thought of losing her father.

"If it's anything I want is for my daughters to be happy, that's all. And for me to, for me to at least see a grandchild before my time comes." He confessed.

"A grandchild?" she asked.

"Yes…" he wheezed before breaking down in a fit of coughs.

"Oh…oh Kebar are you alright?" Jenell asked worriedly.

"Yes, I'm fine." He paused. "Lina, your sister is a knight of Cepheid, and as a knight she must remain a maiden at all times, this not allowing her to be married. I will admit that I wanted you to be married when you were younger, however…"

He paused again unsure of what to say next.

"We just want you to be happy Lina." said Jenell. "This is why we set your engagement for next month the day after the first full moon with Aric Enlightmen."

"_Married?"_ Gourry thought, nearly losing strength in his legs.

"What? Mother no!" she protested. "Father!"

"Sorry dear but it's the only solution" her father began. "Unless of course…" he turned toward the window, and instantly Lina knew what was on his mind.

"Gourry!"

"_Me?"_

"But you proved so yourself Lina that the two of you know nothing about each other." Jenell stated.

"The same for me and what's his face!" Lina yelled. "Only I don't know his name!"

"Don't get that tone with your mother Lina!" Kebar snapped.

She sunk her head again and apologized for her rudeness leaving a quiet room once again.

'_So this is it." _thought Gourry._ "This is were I can't be with Lina anymore."_

He sadly lifted himself off the wall and walked out the door. He was supposed to do something, it was on the tip of his tongue but for the life of him he couldn't remember! All that concerned him now was Lina. She was getting married to some unknown guy and couldn't really protest because it was her father's last wish.

He continued on to the stairs of the porch were he sat in pity for himself and for Lina.

-

**MEANWHILE INSIDE**

-

Right after Gourry made his exit; conversation began once again with the Inverse's.

"However Lina I'll make you a deal." Her father began.

"A deal?" she wondered. Courage and an old sense of self arouse in her again and she spoke as if ready to make a business trade. "Shoot."

"You'll still get married on the first full moon of next month. However I'll let you decide who to." He started.

"I must admit I like that Gourry fellow. He's dense but wise, clumsy but strong, stupid but loyal."

"Dad, stupid and dense is the same." Lina remarked with a droopy look.

"Same thing." He nodded off. "Any way, if you manage to confess your feelings for one another before then, I'll allow you to marry him. But if no progress is made before then you'll be wedded to Enlightmen."

Lina was ecstatic! She couldn't believe what she had just heard! She was off the hook somewhat, but the wager was still on!

"Men shouldn't be the only ones able to use magic." Kebar continued. "They think women aren't capable of it…guess they never met my daughter." He finished with a smirk.

"Oh daddy!" she cheered jumping into his arms, you're the best!"

-

**BACK OUTSIDE**

-

"Hey lemon head, whatcha doin?" came a voice.

"Huh?" he came out of his 'zone' and saw Luna standing in front him with a concern gaze.

"Look I know you've only been here a day. But you've been here long enough for me to know something's wrong with you." She implied.

"Oh…It's just Lina." He sighed.

"Ohhhhh…I see, girlfriend problems huh?" she assumed.

"Girlfriend? Nonononononononono, it's nothing like that!" he tried to defend.

"Oh don't play dumb!" Luna argued. She was going to say more when she noticed the paper in Gourry's hands.

"What's this?" she asked taking the paper. "A love letter?" she smirk evilly.

"NO! Nothing like that!" he retorted.

She looked at the list and quickly dropped her smirk.

"What do you know, you were right. Come on I'll take you there." She volunteered.

"Huh?"

"To the produce district. I gather you don't know your way there right? It figures my mother would do something like that; never thinking ahead." She sighed began to walk off. "Well what are you waiting for? Come on!"

He reluctantly ran to her to follow her into town and planned to remain silent but…

"So why were you sitting out there on the stairs?" she asked.

"Oh it's nothing to big a deal." He replied modestly.

"Nothing to big a deal? You can't fool me buddy! You're in love with my sister!"

He blushed deeply dumbfounded for words before stammering. "N-nno I'm not!"

"Yes you are!" she confronted. "You give all the signs. The way you held her and spoke sincerely of her yesterday, the way you refuse to leave her side while she was asleep all day and night the way you seem all depressed about her. Face it man, you're in love."

He pondered the thought for a moment but quickly shook it off.

"No…Lina's engaged and she has to be married by the first full moon of next month." He said defeated

"First full moon? I thought there was only one full moon a- ohhh…there's two of them next month, that's right! Hahaha silly me." She joked.

This didn't faze Gourry at all as he continued to think of Lina.

"_Man this guy doesn't give up easily."_ She thought.

"So tell me what all is going on." She suggested.

Before Gourry knew it he was pouring his heart out to Luna. All that happened to today, his thoughts, his feeling toward her. He even went as far as to tell her the first time they me and how it came to be that he was her protector. Each story amazed Luna, but what amazed her even more was that so much love and _memory_ could be packed into such a man.

They had already reached town and was shopping for the various fruits her mother requested. Things were getting awkward, and as much as Luna hated to admit it, she actually liked Gourry, and didn't want to see him in agony.

"But I thought you were her protector." She questioned, hoping it'd push a button or two.

"I am!" he snapped.

"_Ouch! I only wanted to push a few buttons not an entire console."_

"Well according to your story it sounds like you promised to protect Lina all your life."

"Yeah so?"

"Well, if Lina is hurting from all of this, then isn't your job to protect her from that harm?"

_Man I hope this guy catches the hint._

"You mean that Light guy may try to kill her?"

She smacked her face from the idiocy contained in one being. Of all the men her sister could fall for she fell for the dumbest.

"No you idiot! Tell her how you feel! That way she wouldn't feel she had the obligation to marry the guy. And who knows? My father just may allow you two to be together." She hinted and walked off with the groceries.

"_Tell her how I feel…"_ he thought absentmindedly. _"I would but…will she return my love?"_

He then realized Luna was far ahead of him and ran up to catch up with her so we wouldn't be lost trying to find home.

--

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**TBC**

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**I have nothing cool to say… :s**

**-Ura out**


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